The Elevator Incident
by unbrokensaviorwithperfecthair
Summary: This is one of the ways that famous night could've gone.  Tiva, slight McAbby.
1. The Elevator

**FOR SOME REASON, I REALLY DON'T THINK THE ELEVATOR SCENE IN SWAN SONG WOULD'VE HAPPENED. AM I THE ONLY ONE? OH WELL, IT WAS A TIVA SCENE, I CAN'T COMPLAIN TOO MUCH. PLEASE REVIEW.**

**DON'T OWN NCIS.**

Tony honestly had not been paying too much attention to Ziva. She was Ziva, so she would be fine. Mike Franks wasn't even her best friend, her mentor, who had gotten her through the death of her family. So, it was a huge shock when she excused herself from Autopsy. It shocked him even more when Gibbs told him to follow her. He knew the only place she could've gone was the elevator, so he ran to it, barely making it in time. He was so focused on not getting crushed by the doors, he didn't notice the moisture slowly building up in her eyes. When he looked down, he saw it, and was startled, though he did his best to hide it. He knew Ziva hated showing any weakness, which definitely included crying. He figured she was already furious with herself, and he didn't want to embarrass her more by calling her out on her un-Ziva-like behavior.

"There's always another monster." She whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Hey, it's ok." He said. He wrapped her in a hug, and he knew her walls were starting to come down.

"I do not know if I can take it anymore." She said, defeat clearly evident in her tone.

"It's better us than someone who didn't sign up for it." Tony replied, then instantly regretted it. The fact was that she _hadn't_ signed up for Mossad.

"Tony…" She whispered. The elevator dinged, and the two were met with McGee and Abby, doing the exact same thing they were doing.

"Bring it in." Tony joked. It was the only thing he _could_ do. Whenever he was hurt, he joked. It was the only way he knew how to comfort people. McGee and Abby instantly accepted, and the foursome embraced each other.

Later that night, Tony was in his apartment. He heard a knock on the door, and knew who it was.

"Hey, Ziva." He smiled, opening the door. He figured that she was here to threaten him to not tell anyone about the little elevator incident. But he couldn't have been more wrong.

_**TBC…**_

**PLEASE REVIEW. ****J**


	2. The Doorstep

**SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE! I HONESTLY FORGOT ABOUT THE STORY. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

She was standing there, fidgeting, something she didn't do. She was shaking, and seemed scared. Another thing she never did.

"Are you okay? Sit down." Tony said, guiding her to his plush sofa.

"What's happening to me?" She asked, looking up at him. The pain in her eyes almost broke his heart.

"I don't know." Tony replied lamely, wrapping his arms around her.

"Franks was almost like a grandfather to me… I've never had any grandparents." Ziva said. _Now that explains why she's so effected_, Tony thought.

"Don't you think Gibbs might be better to talk this out with? I mean, I know I'm great and all, but Gibbs will feel the loss a lot more than I will. Even though it doesn't seem like he's hurting, he is." Tony said. He could've sworn he felt pain as he said this words. Ziva showed up to _him_ for comfort, and he was saying 'I feel bad for you, but I can't help you'. _He_ wanted to be the one she let help her. He told himself that he was helping her by shipping her off to Gibbs. _Yeah, in a nice, neat little package with a bow_, Tony thought bitterly.

"No. I do not want Gibbs to hurt any more than he already is." Ziva said, shaking her head.

"Well what do you think I can do?" Tony burst.

"I don't know! I want someone to tell me why there has to be evil in the world." Ziva said, anger showing through, turning her back into her old self a little bit.

"Somalia." Tony said gently, realization striking him. This had nothing to do with Franks being dead. It was all about Somalia and betrayal and loyalty and love.

"No. Yes. I don't know." Ziva sighed, placing her head in her hands.

"People do things because they think it's right. Most of the time, anyway. Killers are almost always psychotic. The people who did what they did to you, they… They were evil." Tony said, he too sighing.

"I am not mad at them, Tony." Ziva said, her head coming up. To his relief, her eyes were dry. He just didn't think he could deal with 2 emotional Ziva's in a day.

"You're mad at your father." Tony said, nodding in understanding.

"When it came up to it, you and Gibbs and McGee, you cared more. Even Vance cared enough to authorize the mission. You all risked your lives just to kill the men who hurt me. But my father couldn't send in 2 people to come and get me out, to finish the mission." Ziva said, staring intently at the white wall.

"Down, Ziva. When it came down to it." Tony corrected. This time, however, he wasn't laughing as usual.

"If you get what I am trying to say, I do not think it matters _how_ I say it." Ziva said, clearly agitated.

"Maybe I just find it fun to correct you." Tony said, allowing himself to smirk.

"Shut down." Ziva laughed.

"Up, Ziva. It's shut up." Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"First you tell me it's down, then you tell me it's up. Would you decide, please?"

"Hey, I'm not the one that created English." Tony defended.

"Maybe I just find it fun to blame you." Ziva said sleepily, mocking him. Then, her breathing evened out, and she was asleep, curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder. It was only then that Tony realized how amazing she was. Ziva was so small, but so strong. But that was only because she had felt the pain of someone twice her size.


End file.
